The I ♥ Cebu blog by Peanut Browas

The Chinese influence in the Queen City of the South dates back before the Spanish era. Cebu’s version of Chinatown, the Parian district, was established to allow Chinese merchants to have a place to trade their products with the locals. Aside from the usual products from China during the pre-Spanish era, the Chinese also brought with them their food, which Cebuanos have grown to love.

One of the food items popular among Cebuanos is the siomai or Chinese pork dumplings. This delectable dish has developed a following among Cebuanos. One particular siomai that has made waves in the Queen City of the South is the Siomai sa Tisa.

Siomai sa Tisa – image source: flicker.com

The popular dish was originally made by Julie and Elmer Parba. It started off as a small business of the Parbas in 2001 and was sold by Jeffrey Quillosa, who had a small food outlet selling halo-halo in Tisa. Six months after the siomai was initially offered, it gained patronage among Cebuanos from nearly all walks of life. In fact, vendors have claimed the siomai they are selling comes from the company owned by the Parbas, Julmer Food Corporation. Since there a number of other stalls selling siomai in the city, the company created their own brand to distinguish it from its competitors. The name of the brand is “D’ Original Siomai sa Tisa.”

The popularity of the dish was so high, Tisa barangay officials used it to promote their barangay through the Siomai Festival. The festival promoted the barangay as the “Siomai Capital of Cebu.” The officials are also banking on the festival to bring in investments into the barangay.

D’ Original Siomai sa Tisa – image source: istorya.net

The Siomai sa Tisa has its own unique flavor. The ingredients of the siomai include chopped pork, salt, and secret spices and flavoring. All of these ingredients are mixed together and wrapped in dumpling wrapper before being steamed. It’s a no-frills dish that does not contain vegetables, mushrooms or shrimp. It is typically accompanied with vinegar, lemonsito, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce. The latter is what makes the Siomai sa Tisa stand out in the market. The sauce is made of chopped chili pepper, minced garlic and cooking oil. It is normally paired with hanging rice or puso and Sparkle or any other soft drink available at the stall.

While there are many stalls selling “D’ Original Siomai sa Tisa,” nothing can beat eating at its source in Tisa itself. It will not be difficult to find it since both jeepneys and taxi drivers know where it is. You can simply hop into a taxi or jeepney headed to Labangon. You can ask the driver to drop you off at the stall.

Siomai sa Tisa – image source: philippinetravelogue.com

The Siomai sa Tisa is a very affordable dish that is popular among people from all walks of life. It just shows how deep the influence of the Chinese culture in the Queen City of the South. Have you tried eating at the original location of the Siomai sa Tisa? Tell us about your experience on the comments section below.